TENNIS PLAYERS FOR 7-DAY MAPUTO OPEN TOURNEY

MBABANE – The country’s tennis players will spend seven days in courts during the Maputo Open tournament, starting on Sunday until December 17.

Swaziland National Tennis Association (SNTA) Secretary Nqaba Mkhaliphi said the final squad to attend the championships will be unveiled on Friday after the confirmation of registration. He said the association would only assist the players with transport to and from. “This is an open championship where all players from all over the world can play. The fact that there are incentives you get during the tournament when you have won sees us only assisting the players with transport,” he said. Some senior players who competed in the Maputo Open include; Bruce Gama, Thulani Gina, Allen Mathonsi and veteran Masiza Ntshangase, among others.

The players who travelled to Mozambique had good preparations ahead as they played in the Swaziland Building Society (SBS) Clubs Championships held at the University of Swaziland (UNISWA), Kwaluseni Campus courts on Saturday and Sunday. “Despite that the rains disturbed the games on Saturday, we were able to continue the following day. This was a good practice for the players who will be travelling to Mozambique as they had been able to gauge their performance,’ he said. The Maputo Open will be attended by some of the strongest players in the Southern African region. They will come from countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Swaziland, among others.